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5.9.12

Women's breasts age faster after multiple pregnancies - but nursing and hormone replacement therapy are the secrets to keeping chests young

A study of identical twins has shown that breast feeding, daily moisturising and hormone replacement therapy positively affects how a woman's breasts age.
However smoking, drinking alcohol and having multiple pregnancies can accelerate breast ageing,according to researchers.
The study, shows how environmental
factors, as well as higher body mass index (BMI) and larger bra and cup sizes can make breasts appear less beautiful over time.
Using 161 twins aged between 25 and 74 for the study,plastic surgeon Hooman T. Soltanian of University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio identified specific lifestyle behaviors that can slow the ageing process in order to avoid plastic surgery.
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, nearly 316,848 women had breast augmentations and 127,054 had breast lifts last year.
Dr Soltanian said: 'It's very rare that both twins have been through the same exact environmental factors throughout life.
The idea was that they have the sam [breasts]. from agenetic standpoint. If we See a difference, it's more likely to be environmental factors.'Each set of twins was asked to answer questions on independent lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking,
pregnancies, use of a bra, sports, hormone replacement therapy, moisturising and sun exposure. Photos of the twins' breasts were then taken 'in a secluded area by professionals,' which were later 'subjectively evaluated by independent reviewers.' Researchers looked for skin tone, droopiness,
shape and areola size, however Dr Soltanian
admitted there is 'no objective measurement' for what constitutes 'beautiful' breasts. The surgeon, who does reconstructive surgeries for women after breast cancer, added however, 'that breast appearance and breast health as a whole are a major part of female health.' Judy Kuriansky, a sex therapist from Columbia University, said there is also a large psychological importance of breast appearance to women. 'Breasts carry such anthropological importance,' she said. 'Like the hip size, it's about being fertile.''Women are obsessed with their breasts at all ages
because men are obsessed with their breasts,' she said.'No matter how liberated women feel about their bodies, their breast size is so tied up in their sexuality and self-image.'He said that moisturising your decolletage was an 'obvious' advantage on the skin's appearance, showing fewer wrinkles.
'We know from facial analysis that if you take care of the skin, it slows the aging process down,' he said. According to the study, which was funded by a grant
from the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation, women who received hormone replacement therapy after menopause also had more attractive breast shape, size, projection, and areolar shape.
Although pregnancy itself seemed to have a negative effect on the appearance of women's breast, the study found that nursing after pregnancy actually improves skin quality -even though the size and shape of the areola had suffered, he said.